New Delhi, 25 August (H.S.):

The Supreme Court has issued notices to 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs while hearing a plea seeking their disqualification. However, a bench headed by Chief Justice Suryakant declined to issue a notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

The petition was filed by TMC general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the issuance of a notice to the Lok Sabha Speaker, saying that he would appear before the court on the Speaker’s behalf.

Mehta told the court that he had received instructions that the Lok Sabha Speaker had already issued notices on the disqualification petitions. The plea challenges the alleged delay in taking a decision on the disqualification proceedings initiated against the rebel MPs.

The situation arose following a rebellion within the TMC parliamentary party after the party suffered a major electoral setback in West Bengal. The 20 TMC MPs have sought to dissociate themselves from the party and join the NCTE, besides seeking recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar